bloodwork

[shirlsgirl]

Hi all,

Just wondered how often everyone gets their cbc done. My mom has been going every week since July and she feels like a pin cushion. Today she e-mailed her hemo. doc to see if she could extend the the time between cbc’s (ie. 2 wks or a month). On one hand it’s nice to have a tally of her counts weekly because we can see any changes sooner, but on the other hand it would be nice to space it out…veins could heal quicker. Any thoughts? Thanks, Jody

ps. she is finally booked for an appointment to
meet with the bone marrow transplant team in
Feb…. just as a consultation. We don’t know
if she is a candidate yet, but we’re eager to
meet with them to hear what they have to say.

[eve]

my dad only gets a finger stick weekly – doesn’t bother any veins

eve

[Neil]

Hi Jody,
Is there anything else done at the same time the CBC is taken?
Has there been much change in her counts over time?
Usually there is a reason for a weekly CBC. When i was initially dx my doc had me in every week till he was satisfied my counts were stable. Then went to every other week, to monthly to every 3 months.
Now I get one every other week just beore a Procrit shot. They want to know my counts, particularly HCT before administering the shot.
She might ask why they are checking her so often.
At one time I went to a lab about 5 minutes away and had them fax the results to my doc. This took much less time and gave him the data he wanted.
Neil

[paml]

Hi Jodi,
I go in for labs based on the need for monitoring. Like Neil, I’m on Procrit and currently go in monthly, (I administer my own shots). Prior to the Procrit, I had a 6-month period of falling counts; therefore I had labs done weekly or bi-weekly. Three months is about the longest I’ve gone without checking in.

Best Regards,
Pam

[Jimbob]

Jodi, when my doctor first saw something was wrong but he didn’t know what, I went through 3 CBCs and 2 BMB in a week. After they were pretty sure it was CMML, I had a CBC every week for about 2 months. They then decided that it was pretty stable and put me on a schedule for once a month. It is more likely that doctors will test less often than more often than what may be best for the patient. I almost wish they had kept it on a weekly basis. I was almost in the normal range on all areas the first week of December 2003 but had an extreme leukemic event on January 2, 2004 with a WBC count of 385,000.
Everyone is different and reacts differently to various treatments.

[B. Greene]

We have to go every week but it is quick and easy. They use this little butterfly like needle in the vein not the big tube type needle and doesn’t hurt and not sore. You might ask about it. Barbra

[shirlsgirl]

Thank you everyone!! I’ll pass the info. on to my mom!
ps. Jimbob, wow 385,000…how did they get them down? How are your counts now?

[Naomi]

Hi Jody:
I have a port-a-cath. It gives blood for all the tests and I can also receive any meds that go directly into the veins. Only my left arm was really accessable for drawing blood and the vein was really getting scarred, making it more difficult. My port is under the skin and was used two days after it was put in to get blood.
Naomi

[Terri]

Bob goes once a week for cbc and procrit. Especially now that he is getting vidaza they especially want the weekly cbc

[Author]

Posts